1987 Cricket World Cup: The First Outside England

The 1987 ICC Cricket World Cup — officially the Reliance World Cup after its title sponsor — was a landmark tournament for two reasons: it was the first World Cup held outside England (the three previous editions in 1975, 1979, and 1983 were all staged in England), and it broke the West Indies' stranglehold on the trophy. Australia, under Allan Border's canny captaincy, defeated England in the final in Calcutta to claim their first World Cup title.

Moving to the Subcontinent

India and Pakistan co-hosted the 1987 World Cup — a decision driven by the subcontinent's enormous cricket-watching population and the commercial opportunities this represented. The ICC's decision to move the tournament from England proved transformative: subcontinent conditions (slower pitches, shorter boundaries, intense heat and humidity) changed the balance of power in ODI cricket. Spin bowlers became far more relevant, and batters needed different skills to those required in England's swing-friendly conditions.

Format Changes

For the first time, matches were reduced from 60 overs per side to 50 overs — establishing the format that ODI cricket has used ever since. The 1975, 1979, and 1983 World Cups had all used 60-over matches. The 50-over format made batting-powerplay calculations different and placed a higher premium on death-over bowling skills. Teams that adapted to 50-over cricket with aggressive top-order batting thrived.

Australia's Journey

Australia entered the 1987 World Cup as unfancied semi-finalists rather than pre-tournament favourites. Their squad — built around Dean Jones, David Boon, Geoff Marsh, Craig McDermott, and Steve Waugh — was disciplined and professional under Border's leadership. They qualified from their group comfortably and defeated Pakistan in a tightly contested semi-final — before facing England in Calcutta's Eden Gardens for the title.

The Final — Calcutta

The 1987 final at Eden Gardens in Calcutta (now Kolkata) between Australia and England attracted the largest crowd in World Cup Final history to that point. England, batting first, scored 246/8. Australia, in reply, needed 3 off the final over with 2 wickets in hand — and Craig McDermott hit the winning runs. Australia won by 7 runs in one of cricket's most dramatic finals. The West Indies, champions in 1975, 1979, and 1983, were knocked out in the semi-finals — ending their decade of dominance.

England 246/8. Australia 243/8 off 49 overs. Australia needed 3 off final over from Phil DeFreitas. Mike Veletta struck two fours in the penultimate overs; Craig McDermott scrambled the final runs. Australia won by 7 runs. Allan Border lifted the trophy. West Indies, losing semi-finalists, ended an era of Caribbean dominance.

India's Tournament

India, as co-hosts and defending champions (having won in 1983), were eliminated in the semi-finals by England — a defeat that ended Kapil Dev's second World Cup campaign. India's batting relied heavily on Sunil Gavaskar's experience and the emerging Navjot Sidhu, but their bowling attack struggled on subcontinent pitches paradoxically less suited to their spinners than expected at some venues.

Legacy

The 1987 World Cup's legacy is twofold: it established the 50-over format permanently, and it moved cricket's global event outside England for good. Since 1987, World Cups have rotated across cricket-playing nations — Australia, the subcontinent, South Africa, the Caribbean, and New Zealand have all hosted. The tournament's commercial success in India and Pakistan proved that subcontinent hosting generates unmatched cricket revenues.